Cato Recent Op-eds

The Cato Institute seeks to broaden the parameters of public policy debate to allow consideration of the traditional American principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets and peace. Toward that goal, the Institute strives to achieve greater involvement of the intelligent, concerned lay public in questions of policy and the proper role of government.

When ‘Peace Through Strength’ Means ‘War Is Peace’

The popular phrase enables professed anti-war conservatives to conserve liberal internationalism.

10-15
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Letting People Do What They Do Best

The idea of being self-sufficient might sound great, but by modern standards this kind of independence makes people poor. Dirt poor.

10-14
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America’s Middle Class Has Not Been Hollowed Out. Far from It.

Americans’ income growth has been strong for decades — and not just for the rich.

10-14
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Can Each Side’s Faith Break the Cycle of Mutually Assured Destruction for Israelis and Palestinians?

An epistolary exchange between an Islamic scholar and a rabbi points to the concept of universal empathy in their traditions as the key.

10-14
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Is It America’s Fate to Decline and Fall? Here’s What History Says.

Next year marks America’s 250th birthday. Few golden ages have lasted that long — and unless Americans adopt a new outlook, ours could soon be over, too.

10-12
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Dems’ Shutdown Demand Won’t Lower Healthcare Costs

Democrats think the best way to lower healthcare costs is to direct more funding to insurance companies. This idea could not be more wrong.

10-10
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What’s Really at Stake in the Kilmar Abrego Garcia Case?

From pretrial detention to the threat of foreign rendition, the Abrego Garcia case shows how political prosecutions and coercive plea deals have eroded the promise of a fair trial.

10-09
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Government Backed Capitalism Is Not Capitalism

Shifting away from capitalism, with increased government intervention and backing of private enterprise, narrows people’s freedom to do what they choose with their own money.

10-09
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Licensing Boards Are Legalized Cartels

Industry insiders dominate the boards that control who can work, using government power to shut out competitors, protect profits, and block reform.

10-09
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DHS Says Videotaping ICE Agents Is Illegal. Federal Courts Disagree.

Filming law enforcement serves important goals central to a free republic.

10-09
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ICE Blamed Me for Assaults on Agents — Rather Than the Agency’s Own Recklessness

If ICE returned to Biden’s interior enforcement policies, officers, Americans and immigrants would all be safer.

10-08
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Trump’s New Furniture Tariffs Are (Almost) Everything Wrong with U.S. Trade Policy Today

There is no ‘national security’ basis for them, and they won’t accomplish the administration’s stated goals.

10-08
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Democrats’ Latest Shutdown Stunt Exposes the Obamacare Fraud

Billions flow from taxpayers to insurance companies while families pay more for less care and shrinking doctor networks.

10-07
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Educators Must Have Free Speech, but Taxpayers Need Freedom Too

Government must not punish people for their speech. But it also must no longer compel anyone to employ those speakers, especially in the business of shaping minds.

10-06
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The Supreme Court Should Limit Trump’s Tariff Power

Deference to the president would clash with the Court’s recent skepticism toward unilateral executive action.

10-06
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Trump Administration Says It Wants to Fight Racial Discrimination in College Admissions–Then Things Got Weird

The Trump administration is certainly doing lots of new things, including in higher education. But collecting data to fight discrimination isn’t one of them—we’ve been doing that for decades.

10-03
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Rejecting Injustice: The Jury’s Role in a Politicized Justice System

The willingness of jurors to scrutinize the evidence, assess the credibility of witnesses, impart the values of the community, and deliver a just verdict is a powerful rebuke to those who would weaponize the legal system for political ends.

10-02
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Labour Has a Funny Idea of What’s Good for Growth

Listening to Rachel Reeves, it seems her party can’t distinguish between policy it finds morally satisfying and what might actually help the economy.

10-02
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Shutdown Theatrics Just Distract Us from the Real Problem: Obscene National Debt

It’s easier to blame your political opponents for brinkmanship than to admit both parties have racked up staggering debts.

10-02
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Autism Research Doesn’t Need Washington’s Help

When the state dictates both the questions science asks and the answers it offers, it converts knowledge into propaganda and health into a matter of politics.

10-02
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